Fantasy New Oasis: Four Heavenly Kings

[Roda the Red]

GREGORY GALLONS

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

CDPD HQ, Upper Central Disctrict

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Boltius, Gregory, Gideon, Inigo, Roza, Tatsuya

TACTICAL MAYHEM

Let go. Save your precious coffee machine

Gregory thought to himself as he watched, wide-eyes as the concealed explosive was thrown, his grip on the phoenix loosening as his body pushed him towards the grenade. He had to do something, not just for the coffee, but for the sake of his beloved break room as well. Eventually, his impulse got the better of him, releasing Gideon and leaping towards the grenade. From his finger, he shot a low-powered laser, one with the minimal amount of heat and momentum to it, after hitting the wall, the shot bounced, intercepting the grenade, causing it to bounce to the opposite direction. Eric was able to catch it midair, landing on the floor with an optimal roll, he probably had around two seconds left before the grenade detonated, which fortunately was more than enough time as he threw it right into the window, the hard metal of the throwable shattering the glass. As the grenade hit the ground outside, it exploded, a roaring explosion emerged from it, alongside a powerful shockwave and shrapnel on equal measure. The deterctive, however, had confidence that no one would be around that area, at least provided that his colleagues outside were doing their job right, something he didn't have the luxury to doubt at the moment.

"That was a fun trick, have any more under your sleeve?"

from Gregory's hand emerged once again the energy "blade", his other hand also showing a glowing orb of light. He was ready to fight the phoenix fair and square, and this time, he was prepared for whatever he had to throw.

Direct Interaction: Coyote Hart
In Scene: Doctor Llamabean Lucem RedArmyShogun simj26 Nobody Special Damafaud

 

[Saturn_moon]

Isobel Pham

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 1 [Where Giants Sleep]

LOCATION:

Heavenly Beast Plaza, Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Elias, Ezra, Isobel, Kenji, Passeri, Wren

Where Giants Sleep

Shallow breathing. Unfocused gaze. Stuttered speech. Isobel recognized the signs all too well. Passeri Park was on the verge of a panic attack. As the room started to shake, Iroi stumbled. Isobel immediately reached out and grabbed her hands to steady her. The Priestess either hadn't heard Passeri’s plea for help or had chosen to ignore it as she resumed the horrific ritual their party had somehow found themselves in the middle of.

The Stewards’ chanting crescendoed as another of the kneeling figures stepped up to the tomb. Isobel was prepared this time and quickly stepped in front of Passeri, obstructing her line of sight. There was a familiar choked gurgle and the shaking intensified. Bits of stone fell from above, splashing into rushing waters as Isobel too struggled to keep her balance.

This was bad. This was more than bad. Eyes darting rapidly around, she sought out an escape route for them. The massive stone entrance that she could see was, from past experiences, likely to be locked considering how paranoid the cultist seemed to be. There was always the doorway they had come through, but that would require them to find a way to get back up to the balcony, and with Passeri’s current state that might prove to be a challenge. Her last option was the waters below, but it was a risk as where ever they ended up could put them in a far worse situation than the one they were presently in.

Just when she was running out of ideas, hope arrived in the form of a blank slip of paper. Ezra. Snatching the paper out of the air, she tightened her grip on Passeri as she started to feel the pull of Ezra’s potential.

In a snap, they were flown across the cavern, landing beside Ezra in front of the large stone doors. “Nice to see you.” She signed to her friend. “We seem to be in a bit of a precarious position.” As he talked them through their options, Isobel’s hand slipped beneath her flannel and emerged with two wickedly sharp knives. Not one for religion, the thought of an all-powerful ancient god taking control of New Oasis was far from ideal. The Priestess had also confirmed Isobel’s suspicion that there were greater forces at play affecting Markus as well as the other kings and that did not sit well with her at all.

“I think it goes beyond a simple reconnaissance mission, but I'd rather not let them do as they please. I'm against some entity and its minions meddling with the city. Laissez-faire and all that."

Giving him a nod, she raised the weapons in her hands to show that she was on the same page. In a flash, both knives left her hands and flew straight and true toward the Priestess. But before the knives could hit their mark, they came to a halt in mid-air. Turning slowly around, the knives returned the way they came, flying at far greater speeds than she had thrown them.

Oh, fu-

Twisting her body out of the way at the last moment, the knives barely missed striking her heart and instead embedded themselves into the stone door behind. Her arm twitched with sharp pain and she glanced down to see blood seeping through the torn fabric of her sleeves.

“I do hate spilling the blood of HPs. It’s such a waste of talent.” The chanting had come to a stop as the Priestess’ spoke. “Unfortunately, you lot seem adamant on making yourselves our enemy.” With a wave of her hands over the four remaining figures on the floor, they rose to their feet, eyes still reflecting empty stares, and turned to face the group. “Kill them.”

​

Up on the balcony, the Bishop drew the two golden scythes from his side and moved in front of Elias, blocking his path to the exit. His hands twitched and traces of electricity sparked across the metal.

Lucem The One Eyed Bandit QuirkyAngel Kyuubey Stros ​

 

[Peckinou]

Noa Bakoria Aquanaut

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

joshuadim , Ryoma Stros

Follow the Lightning

Noa listened intently as the owner confirmed her suspicions, but her eyebrows raised when he commented on a bunch of suited people coming to his establishment and wrecking the place. It seemed to her that Hyperstar wasn't in on the whole Kidnapping if the suited people were the ones to do this much damage to the place, still though if it was only 20 minutes ago it must of meant that the were at least still in the district. When Sajeem commented on how he would wish for them to not trash the place, Noa took one good Glance towards the building, seeing the inside through the busted windows and the what looked to be completely trashed establishment. Giving him a small snide comment, "What's their left to trash." Noa wasn't exactly surprised with the fact that Hitoshi was addicted to Karaoke, it seemed pretty in character for him after all. Still though, he didn't really give them too much information on where they could find the suited folks.

But before she could question him further about that, he had invited them inside, with a shrug Noa reluctantly entered the place, with their bodyguard following right behind them, seeing the inside of the building she almost felt a bit sympathetic, but not enough as of yet. When Sajeem went on to explain that he didn't know where Hitoshi was, and say that he was acting different, Noa was a bit skeptical but decided to ask "Different how so? Wait, you also mentioned the suited people that did this to your place? Do you know where they went?" A question she had to ask, as it seemed like the suited people didn't actually catch Hitoshi as of yet considering they were asking about someone, which was more than likely Hitoshi.

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

PROGRESSION POST

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius, Ashley, Gideon, Tatsuya, Inigo, Eric, (NPCs)

TACTICAL MAYHEM

The truck rattled violently as it raced down the highway, wobbling on a warped rear-wheel as two cruisers trailed behind at full speed, sirens blaring. Cars swerved out of their path, horns trumpeting, the screech of rubber on pavement.


Barbados behind the wheel laughed wildly. Boo, on the other hand, held tight to the support handle above her door, lips pinched in perturbation.

They drove toward Central District PD, one job done and onto the next, getting close, and they weren’t the only ones. All able Phoenixes from Operation Havoc were well on their way to aid the Phoenix raid.

Some might have gotten caught up in a skirmish here and there; others might have avoided confrontation altogether. But no matter what, the goal was the same.

Elsewhere, reinforcements from another police precinct were being deployed. Lieutenant Mao’s directives were bearing fruit.

(Interacting w/ no one)
(Mentioned no one)
Nobody Special Roda the Red Coyote Hart Lucem simj26 Damafaud Wxnter ​

 

[Anne Boolean]

Pascal Corbin

CS Link

SCENE:

New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 1 [PASSERI PARK'S ULTRA PASSIONATE MELODY ONSLAUGHT]

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Florence, Pascal, Gavril, Milo, Dimitri, Jackson

THE HALL OF INSIGHT

He let out a chuckle at 'Thelma''s comment. "Well, let's hope I can be more than someone who just appoints themselves the team leader," he responded. That being said, he'd be happy to play the role, especially if it meant potentially saving his new companion from bumping into reflective surfaces. He continued forward, making sure to keep a hand extended in front of him as he went. He didn't have any destroyed vision aids, but with the caution he took, it could have been inferred that the two were alike in that regard.

After a bit of exploration, Pascal could hear a familiar voice ring out through the halls. The muffled nature of it made it apparent that it came from quite far away. The blond raised a brow. Whether it was in response to the strange sound or their companion's decision to comment on the sound's smell and sniff the air was debatable.

"Sounds like Miles..." he responded. It didn't make sense for the announcer to be in one of the obstacle courses though, right? And with the voice's cadence, it sounded like the man was, well, announcing something. "A new challenger approaches," he said, looking down in the direction that 'Thelma' started calling towards. He turned to them when they excitably addressed him. The eagerness was adorable.

"We gotta! We are Riddles LLC after all!" he said with a grin before turning back in the direction the voice came from. "HELLOOOO??" he started calling himself. "CAN YOU HEAR US??" He started moving forward.

Spoiler: Tags

The One Eyed Bandit BriiAngelic

 

[joshuadim]

SAJEEM

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hitoshi, Noa, Ryoma

FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING

Just as Sajeem was about to open his mouth, his phone rang with an annoying tune and he quickly put up a finger as he pulled out the cheap knockoff smartphone. "One moment, won't be long." he said before tapping to pick up. Very quickly a verbal argument ensued between him and, who both Ryoma and Noa would very quickly put together, was his mother as he on more than one occasion yelled out 'Mama!' in anger. Outside of that however, it was impossible to tell what the two were quarreling about until Sajeem got the last word in and hung up briskly. He cleared his throat and ran a finger through his thinning hair. "Sorry about that. You know how family can be?" he said with a chuckle, "Especially after they learn how your own business gets torn up."

He pushed up his sunglasses by the rim and stretched his neck for a moment. "Ah yes, where was I... your friend last night..."

HITOSHI YAMAKAWA

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hitoshi, Noa, Ryoma

FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING

Last Night...

Hitoshi stumbled on the street as booze and drugs coursed through his veins, pounding his head relentlessly with such vigorous intensity that he had never felt before. Sweat beaded down his temples and forehead and he staggered in his walk. His demeanor alone was enough to draw attention from pedestrains nearby, who were witnessing what could only be described as the harbringer of opiodic ruination making its way towards Hyperstar with intent.

"He came in last night, which isn't unusual. But I could tell he was *fucked up*. Like, *really* fucked up. Never saw it like *that* before. I don't know if he had been in several other bars already but he was wickedly high, you know?" Sajeem explained to Noa and Ryoma, his words cutting through his recount before continuing on.

Hitoshi stumbled through the doors of the establishment, making his way to the bar with hurried pace before practically collapsing at the counter. "Whisky on the rocks... or just... whatever..." he managed to mutter out as the world around him spun around like a globe. The noises and clamor of patrons sounded like train horns in his ears, the lights as bright as the sun itself, and Hitoshi squinted and wiped his eyes as he recollected himself as best as he could before collecting the glass given to him by the barman. He put down his money, without caring about the change and downed the drink before making his way over to the karaoke stage.

"I saw him get a drink, and then he made his way over to the stage." Sajeem then said, "I knew this was a bad idea, but hey... the people knew him here on most nights. They *wanted* to hear him sing, regardless of how fucked up he was."

Already clamboring up the steps towards the microphone, some whoops and cheers sounded from the patrons. The stage was set. "I though he would just... you know... sing the usual? Some stupid pop shit or something that gets churned out every month. But then I saw him go over to the sound mixer and I knew something was up."

Hitoshi grinned as he whispered his song request to the DJ, who gave the disheveled man a look of surprise before reluctantly going along. "I'm going to wipe your stupid goddamn smirks of your goddamn faces." Hitoshi muttered to himself, "See how you want to laugh now?" He straightened his jacket as he took to the microphone, gripping it as his heart pounded trying to process the amount of speed and god knows what else was in his system. With this, he would deliver his magnum opus, a true gauge on his soul to let everyone know what's *up*.

"He then sang the *saddest* shit I've ever heard. Like a fucking wounded dog."

The slow piano and bass began to play, bringing out a small murmur from the crowd as they looked to one another in confusion. This was different than the usual. Sajeem stayed near the back of the establishment, taking a nervous gulp as he observed what was happening. He wasn't sure of what to do. But then he heard it."

"I WOULD OFTEN GOOO THEEEEEERE....
TO THE TIIIIINY CHUUURCH THEEEERE...."​

Hitoshi was completely off-key and kilter, without a care in the world, he heaved out his anger, his frustration, and his sadness for everyone to hear in an unsolicited manner. They would *feel* his pain, without caring of what they wanted to feel in having a good time out.

"THE SMALLEST CHURCH IN SAINT-SAVAAIIIIN....
THOUGH ONCE... IT WAS LAAARGEEEEERHHH..."
​

Dead silence commenced, as people looked to one another in confusion and in genuine disbelief of what they were witnessing. Sajeems mouth drew slightly agape as he himself watched with shock.

"HOW THE RIIiiiIIIIILLLLL MAY REEeeESST THERE...
DOWN THROUuGH THE CLiiFFS THERE...
TOWAAaaAARD THe WHIiiTE MIIISTS THEeeeEEERE...



"I WOULD OFfTEeEN STAY THEERE...
IN THE TIIIIiiIIINY YAARD THERE,
I HAAVE BEEN SO GLAaaAAD THERE...
Loooking forward... to the past heEEeeeRE...

BUT NOOOOOooooooOOoW... YOooouuuUUUuu ARE AAAAAAALLL ALLoooOOONE...
NONE OF THIS MATTERS.... AAAaaAAATTTHHhhh... AAAAAAAAAHHHLLLLLLL..."
​

The final words came out like pained screams of mental anguish, and was met with the most deafening silence in the world. A few claps resounded, perhaps out of pity? Or out of mockery. Either way, it was the most pathetic applause in the world. Hitoshi stared out into the sea of unblinking faces for a moment, his mind formulating a response to these people.

"I... I'm up here singing my fucking HEART OUT and its not *good enough* for you fuckers!?" Hitoshi then yelled through gritted teeth, gripping the microphone again. A number of people uncomfortably shift around, looking to one another for some salvation of this display in front of them. "FUCK YOU! I gave it my best. I gave it EVERYTHING and you SHIT on me!?"

Sajeem quickly rushed over to the PA system and hurridly tried to find the cord for the microphone, trying to put an end to this.

"I... I come in here and sing my FUCKING heart out every time. And you all LAUGH! YOU LAUGH!! You laugh AT me! I try to have a good time and you LAUGH AT ME!! What the fuck is wrong with you people!? KICKING ME WHILE IM DOWN!? WELL NO FUCKING MORE!! I'M FUCKING DONE WITH ALL YOU SHITHEADS!"

"And... well... what's more to say? He stormed out the back." Sajeem then finished his recount. "Given how he acted... I wouldn't be surprised if he pissed off someone *bad* that night."

Interacting: Ryoma ( Stros ), Noa ( Peckinou )

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Sabrina Felton

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

August, Damian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyo, Peyton, Raph, Sab, Julian

Thicker Than Water

A trap.

Sabrina already had a feeling it would be, ever since ran down the ominous-looking corridor in search of Caio and Kyoden, but she hadn’t expected that it would be so…long. She walked. And walked. And walked. At some point, she pulled out a cigarette from the pack in a pocket and lit it because, what the hell, she’d need a fix if she was gonna keep going like this. Time passed. Time that felt like an eternity, but, at the same time, not much time at all. Still, Sabrina continued to wade through the dark path, dragging Kyoden’s blade against the floor. What else was there to do?

By the time she finally found them, she was back where she started.

.

The hell?

“Oi–!”

Before she could warn them, before she could even return Kyoden’s sword to him, the scenery around them shifted as soon as the group stepped in. Kyoden and Caio were gone. Again. Once more, a long hallway stretched out before her, but this time she at least had company. Damian and Kinsley. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I goddamn hate potential like this.”

It reminded her a lot of Ronin’s power actually–Requiem of Creation. Had Mr. Forgets A lot betrayed them?

Sabrina tightened her grip on Ronin’s–Kyoden’s–sword. No. No point jumping to conclusions. And, even if he had, so what? It wasn’t as if Sabrina trusted very many members of the Sable Serpent gang in the first place. They were a disorganized, self-serving lot, each with their own goals and motive for joining the gang. She knew less than half of them by name. But even so, they’d given her power in a city where those without power were left in the dust. Valerie, the ChessMistress of the Sable Serpent gang and her former teacher, had given her power. And now, with her power, she could do whatever the fuck she wanted.

“It’s a trap. I know it’s a trap, but there’s no other way than forward, so let’s just go.”

Conversely, they could just go back. Abandon Bloodfiend. It had been 8 months. He was most likely dead anyway. But then, what would be the point of going all this way in the first place? Staying still was another option, but, unless they had a plan of some sort, it was just delaying the inevitable.

At worst, it wasted time and–if the Queen’s beloved “brother” wasn’t already dead–he was going to be.

Then again, walking in circles was wasting time too.


Sabrina sighed. She didn’t know why she was being so hasty. Given how illusions worked, who knows what they could be walking into? “You guys took out the Chessmaster freak, right?” It didn’t actually matter to Sabrina whether they did or they didn’t. She was just making conversation…something completely out of character for people that knew Sabrina, but after trekking alone for so long, it was human nature to desire company.

Lucem Elenion Aura Kyuubey

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

DARIUS KENNEDY

CS Link

SCENE:

Filth In The Gutter

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Mimi, Orion, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Ten, Yuna, Yuto
Ruriko, Schroeder, Silva

THE SUN IN THE GUTTER

“Ten.” Darius responded to the gentle pull on his arm by tightening his grip on his partner. “It’s not okay. You’re not okay.” How could they brush it off like that? His voice quivered, anxiety and agitation boiling over within. “And if I let you go up there and you die it will be my fault.”

He looked toward the stairs Ten pointed to, and back to them. “Sang-Cheol said we’d be safe down here, and he said not to go back up for any reason, Ten. I think we’d… die up there.” Darius let out a sigh. It really didn’t seem like a safe haven down here either. Darius often felt resigned to meet whatever dire fate he was in store for him that day, but never did he feel so… bitter about it. It just wasn’t fair.

“Wouldn’t you rather find somewhere to hide in the shadows, and we can wait there until all this has stopped?” Are you even listening to yourself, Darius? You can’t just bury your head in the sand like an ostrich.

“...Whatever you think we should do, I’m with you.”

Darius brought Ten in for another quick hug.

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Filth in The Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Mimi, Orion, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto

Sun In The Gutter

"Goddamn it!" Sang-Cheol roared. That fucking transformer was fucking up the lab! His home, the only place that gave him respite from his fucking troubles, was now getting fucking obliterated by an oversized robot. "You're gonna regret that," Digging into his pockets, he reached out to get a stick of dynamite before his phone started to ring. He growled as he picked his phone up instead of grabbing the dynamite. Olivine's name was displayed on the phone. Clicking a button, he held it up to his ear.

"What the fuck is it, Olivine! A fucking mech is destroying my lab! I don't have time to-"

"Mimi's dead." For once, his hot-blooded self froze at those words. What did Olivine just say to him? There was no way. Why was Mimi here? Shouldn't her appointment not have been until a few weeks from now? It didn't make any logical sense. Why would Mimi-

"But you know! If you need help with something, I'm just a call away!"

Sang-Cheol fell to his knees. "Why, Mimi?" Why would you come here and die on me? Why would you leave me as hyung did? Like Isobel? Sadness drowned out his already bleeding heart. It didn't make sense to him. None of this made sense to him. As if the world had turned upside down and laughed at him. As if it was some sort of divine comedy. As if god was playing a cruel joke on him.

"Boss? Boss? Boss!"

Such sadness turned into grief. Grief into anger. Anger into a rage. Putting the phone back up, Sang-Cheol had a dark expression. "Initiate Protocol: Eurydice, you goddamn meat sack." A certain madness filled his eyes as he spoke those words. Oh, Mimi. Dearest Mimi. Are you up in heaven right now? I know how lonely you were. Your existence that was paradoxical to human life. Don't worry; you'll have company soon. Just wait for them.

"...Understood." Any emotion that was in Olivine's voice left as Sang-Cheol looked up into the sky amidst the flames.

What a nice, peaceful blue sky.

 

[Coyote Hart]

Peyton Xiong

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

August, Damian, Julian, Kinz, Kisara, Kyoden, Peyton, Raph, Sabrina, Shinko

THICKER THAN WATER

A vivid burst of indigo blinded Peyton's sensitive night vision, causing him to cover his eyes. Once the flash of light faded from Peyton's sight, he found himself in a completely different part of the warehouse. Peyton blinked several times in rapid succession, wondering if this was an illusion that Kisara's blast of light had inadvertently caused. But no, he was indeed in a different place altogether.

Romero's carcass had vanished from sight, and as Peyton looked around him, he realized he couldn't see Damian or Kinsley anywhere nearby. Only the tall monster, Kisara, and the teal-clad Serpent were left. After crouching down next to his air-bending partner and crime and making sure that he wasn't dead by giving them a good shake, they were off.

A new face appeared down the hallway as they went down it, and behind him, was a soldier from the warehouse, holding the former hostage with a knife across the throat. The hostage, with his soft sand-colored hair and donning prison garb, didn't seem like a threat to Peyton. But that didn't matter to him. He was here to kill anyone who got in the way of their rescue mission. And the bloodlust had almost clouded over Peyton's judgment of whether killing bystanders willy-nilly was okay or not. Fortunately, Peyton understood the fact that such an act wouldn't make Peyton a good Dragon.

August's words still convinced Peyton that perhaps it would be fun to kill both of them.

Whilst August talked and distracted the kidnapper, Peyton took a few steps to the side. Not facing the hostage and the hostage taker head-on would mean that if Peyton made a mistake, he was unlikely to hit the hostage. And then with a flash, Peyton raised his rifle and fired off a shot. With a boom, the bullet punched through the soldier's head, spraying blood onto Julian.

"Bam! Got him!" Peyton cheered, "Oh, wait, you were trying to see if you could take off the other guy's head. Sorry, August!"

Despite not having introduced themselves to each other yet that day, Peyton instinctively called August by his name. In fact, Peyton hadn't even realized that he had done so. Even though Peyton hadn't been able to connect the dots and realize that August was the one who he had a science project with back in 10th grade, the muscle memory of August's name was still there.

Peyton waltzed up to the hostage, taking note of the man's almost glassy appearance, and rested the bayonet of his rifle on the man's shoulders, threatening to sever his head off with one swipe of the arm. Because Peyton was so short, he had to reach quite high up in order to make it to Julian's shoulders. There was a beast-like hunger the glowing yellow eyes that stared up at Julian's gray eyes. His face was flushed slightly pink, almost as if he was drunk off of all of the carnage that he caused on the way over. Or perhaps he was blushing over how pretty Julian was. His banana-yellow hoodie and his blue jeans were splattered red with blood.

"It's funny, whenever I'm about to kill someone, they always say the same thing as you did," Peyton remarked, "That they have something that I'd want to know. Well, I've seen that stuff too many times! I don't think I believe you!"

Peyton wasn't going to kill Julian. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't play around by letting the monster within himself run wild a little. He beamed with fox-like mischief, "Any last words?"

Doctor Llamabean Sei Shonagon
simj26 AriAriAbabwa Kyuubey Lucem Beann QuirkyAngel

 

[Misuteeku]

Security Level

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [Filth In The Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

[Aristotle, Timothy, Rebecca], Darius, Mimi, Orion, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto

Filth In The Gutter

The speaker phones flared up all around the burning lab. Despite the lab taking substantial damage, the communication devices were working fine. "Attention. Attention. Attention." Timothy's voice spoke from the speaker found. None of the frustration, irritation, or anger that he had previously felt was expressed. He sounded completely robotic, as if he was a machine reciting off a script.

"Authorized by Matchsticks. Entering and staying inside the Lab Icarus is now prohibited. Leave the lab premises immediately. Any resistance will be faced with death. Leave the premises now." There was a small pause. The speakers buzzed until Timothy spoke again. "All workers. You can stop pretending to be alive now. Eliminate all foreign beings inside the lab." With that, the announcement shuttered off.

Timothy began to tap more rapidly. "Pod 139 is now being released. Pod 230 is now being released." Sending the commands down to the third floor, Timothy began working on the other internal features of the lab.

Aristotle silently took out a drug from his pocket. It was a potential booster. Grabbing the syringe, he stabbed it into his arm. The disgusting liquid entered his veins.


Just beneath Silva, Ruriko, Yuto, and Rutheless feet, there are numerous corpses around. Casualties from the Azure Dragon's initial siege of Lab Icarus. Corpses that had their flames extinguished by the merciless onslaught.

A singular hand grabbed onto Silva's leg. If Silva were to look down, he would see a disembodied body staring straight at him. Eyes dilated, an arm missing, a trail of the blood being left behind. As if it was a snake, it grabbed onto Silva's leg tighter and tried to bite down on it.

It wasn't the only one.

About 3/4ths of the workers were alive. Whether their bodies had been cut up, smashed, incinerated, or poisoned, it didn't matter. The horde of undead workers stared at the four. They did not move, nor did they attack. However, they did block any possible exits that involved a hall.

 

[Misuteeku]

Gerda

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [Filth In The Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Gerda, Darius, Mimi, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto, Ruriko, and Silva

Filth In The Gutter

"Heh. I got you where, I want you." Gerda smiled. They were just about in position. While Yuto and Rutheless were distracting the intruders, Gerda had the perfect angle to make her play. The tubes above them contained water, though it wasn't water she was aiming for. It was the curious, mutant pufferfish that had been watching the fight. They had gotten the pufferfish a few months ago after they decided to liven the place up. The mutant pufferfish came from one of the other labs. If agitated, they'd expand until the point that they'd crush any container they were in.

It was a perfect plan. Now, sure Rutheless and Yuto would get mad at her for almost getting them hit, but she'd find a way to pay them back. Just as she was to throw her needles, her froze.

"All workers. You can stop pretending to be alive now. Eliminate all foreign beings inside the lab."

The smile on her face faded. Her needles were dropped onto the ground as if she had forgotten that she was holding onto them. Taking out a drug, a potential steroid, she stabbed it into herself. The disgusting liquid flew into her veins. Grabbing a new set of needles she engaged into the fight right into...

Yuto.

Armed with needles in each hand, she them towards Yuto with the intent of killing him.

 

[Misuteeku]

Rebecca

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [Filth In The Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Gerda, Darius, Mimi, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto, Ruriko, and Silva

Filth In The Gutter

The pipes cracked and turned before finally bursting. Water spilled out upon Ruthless, Ruriko, and Silva as it gushed out. The pufferfish struggled against the change of current before also finally cutting down. Resistance was futile as they both fell down-

And landed inside a humanoid being made out of water. Rebecca was there on the otherside of the confrontation. With her potentiality, she merged with the lab's water supply and stood there in an aquatic form. The pufferfish settled down, but Rebecca didn't. Without any warning and hesitation, she lashed out. Several whips of water swung about. They strike at Silva, Ruriko...

And Rutheless.

It didn't matter if they were serpents or dragons. Allies or enemies. Anyone that was in the lab was an enemy. They must be eliminated.

 

[Misuteeku]

Hubert

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [Filth In The Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

[Hubert], Darius, Mimi, Orion, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto

Filth In The Gutter

"Well damn," Hubert said to no one other than himself. Looks like Matchsticks is having another tantrum right now. Hubert, being Hubert, didn't exactly want to deal with that. Being dropped into acid was better than having to deal with this shit. Not that he would remember what it was like being dropped into acid.

"Well, I think it's time to drop out." Walking up to Optimus Prime, he grabbed hold of the amalgamation of vehicles. It wasn't like he was powerful or anything, far from it. His potentiality and age made him the weakest HP within Amestiria. Though, it did compensate by giving one thing.

"See ya in the next life, everybody!" Hubert screamed at the top of his lungs. Grabbing his gun, he held it up.

BANG

Hubert died. The bomb that was in his heart reacted to it. Upon death, it would detonate and could only be disabled if Sang-Cheol had given explicit orders to do so. In a flash, Hubert's body exploded right under Schroder. It was strong enough to tear through the walls of the lab and break it all down.

The undead workers started to crawl out of there and began making their way to Schroder.

 

[Misuteeku]

139 & 230

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [Filth In The Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

[Hubert], Darius, Mimi, Orion, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto

Filth In The Gutter

Much to Darius and Ten's touching reunion, it would soon fall apart. Footsteps could be heard as people ascended from the stairs that lead to the third floor. From opposite ends of the room, two people emerged. One of them had the head of a stop light and had the number 139 attached to his shirt. The other had a body of a train and ahd the number 230 attached to herdress. Each of them turned immediately and looked at Darius and Ten.

A phantom railroad manifested on the ground. Steam billowed out of the body of 230 as she made whirling noises. The body of 230 started to contort and shift. Her body jutted forward and her limbs and head folded back. Turning into a train, she reved up her engine.

The stoplight on 139 shined red at Darius and Ten. A sign that meant that everyone should stop if they were facing the stoplight's direction.

Unfortunately, 230 did not wait for them. Immediately, it jutted forward in a burst of speed at the both of them.

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

EUN JI-YOUNG

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Faceless Fox]

LOCATION:

Akira's Office, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

| Pablo | Akira | Ji-Young | Dante | Welsha |

The Faceless Fox

Somehow, someway, it always came back to this. Every job, every time, people keep resorting to resolving issues through extreme violence. Ji-Young honestly expected as much the moment Akira gave her the manila folder. She sighed, breathing out her hopes of a peaceful outcome to this situation. And yet she couldn’t deny that some part of her, the one grinning madly from the shadows, was anticipating the fight.

Making sure to secure the money inside her jacket, she took out a pair of studded leather gloves and carefully put them on. It was never personal to her, even when she left the homes of debtors trailing blood across the ground. It was all part of a job. Still, she followed a code, part of which governed the level of damage dealt: if they had a spouse, she would stop at broken ribs; if they had kids, she would snap only a limb or two.

Ji-Young groaned. One would think otherwise, but it was harder to hold back, especially when she got in the thick of it. She still had to try, for the kids, for their visit to Knightworld. Which reminded her, she promised Mutya a visit to that place one of these days.

In silence, she called the wind to her side, feeling it caress strands of hair away from her cheeks. A constant companion, a stalwart sentinel, the wind never failed her yet. She let the pink, cotton candy facade fall from her face, revealing the sharp gaze of a professional on the job. She vaulted over the balcony, the wind slowing her descent until she touched softly down on the floor.

“I’ll give you the same courtesy I give the rest of the people I usually meet with,” Ji-Young said, her voice gaining an edge. “Kindly step aside, and let me pass, and you can still bring your kids to Knightworld with your body intact.”

Interactions: Nobody Special

 

[The Regal Rper]

Gav | Central | Passionate Melody Onslaught

"I- I can use my own legs, you know!"

"Oh I know" was his reply, and then to make a point he shifted her on his shoulder and then repositioned his arm around her waist as he once again kept moving.

In some ways it reminded him of carrying his lover boy around on his shoulder. Then again, his guy had never really struggled much when he threw him over his shoulder.

The effort was half-assed and honestly done so he could walk faster without having to wait for his squidy companion to keep up. Gavril had developed a powerfully quick gait- one that was only aided by his height. So there was no doubt in his mind that if he didn't pay attention, he'd leave her behind in a few strides. She seemed like the sort to easily let surprises take the advantage at the drop of a hat anyway, if the fact she'd gone running head first into the labyrinth at the slightest scare from Flo had done anything of his expectations of her in terms of heated or high-key stressful intense situations.

That wasn't to say however that Gav did not at least find Elizabeth useful input of value, and frankly, he had taken something of a liking to her even if he hadn't said it out loud. She had provided him the means to get out of the upper labyrinth instead of just letting him bumble around till he figured it out himself.

If he weren't taken he'd have tried flirting, and since he wasn't as brazen as before he at least expected his chances being slightly better than they would have been in his earlier youth. But that was beside the point-- Squid Screecher's bumbling neurotic dorkiness aside, which apparently was just another one of his types it seemed, her input was appreciated. He could have been still up there working his way through the doors where it'd have taken him at least ten minutes to figure out the pattern with the numbers, she'd noticed it quicker than he and now here they were to the next step.

Right through a door with a series of odd numbers. His skimmed glance and then his hand pushed it open.

A test of character? Perhaps. It explained the other participants all being jumbled in at random at least and did set more things into his hunch about this being some kind of way to evaluate people for some reason or another.

"We're not splitting up." He decided, because frankly she'd been good at spotting things faster than he could and that made this all the more easier. Not to mention he rather liked having a companion on his first official debut in the city after being gone for so long. There was little interest in him at the moment to go straight back to the Dragons. And having a companion, at least a temporary one, such as Elizabeth, was nice after spending most of his time surrounded by quite literal enemies for more than a year in the enemy country of his homeland.

However that particular last line he couldn't help but frown at. "A weapon?" His tone didn't hide the sense of disgust as he walked both of them through the door and then proceeded to swat Elizabeth lightly on the back of her calf. "The hell's that supposed to mean, Screech?" His voice wasn't raised but he certainly didn't sound pleased. "I thought you and I were bonding here-- look let's get one thing clear here." He said as he crouched to put her down.

"I may not express it, but I actually like you to keep you around. Sure, right now it's a business sort of deal- but frankly speaking you're a bit of a breathe of fresh air compared to what I had to get used to. So" he raised his hand up to flick her on the forehead, "stow whatever that just was. If I intended on leaving you dry I'd have left you up there instead of bringing you with me."

With a head nod he motioned, "Now lets get our fine asses moving, I want to see what the end of this game is."

Mentions: Anne Boolean @The Prophet Elenion Aura @Ambiloquous

Interactions: The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Sei Shonagon]

Julian Midgley

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

August, Peyton, Kisara, and Takaonna

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

His pulse was racing. It was a dissonant sound that intermingled with panted breaths to tickle his ears. The guilt shared between the two as it prompted shivers to prick his skin in pins and needles during the lapses of hot and cold.

Hot astringent proof of life and cold inanimate metal. The latter aiming to rob him of the first. Julian drew a shaky breath. WHAT WAS THAT ACCENT? He had never heard anything like it- ah and 'im. He motioned the sounds on mute lips like a baby ready to say its first words. Also the usage of the word 'mate'. Wasn't that a term for a reproductive partner? Ahhh~ the curiosity scratched his throat along with the blade that was but a distant memory to the blonde in his fervour.

He should have known that they were not normal guards or prisoners, judging from their unique appearance. Well, unique in comparison to the nameless and faceless NPC behind him. The arctic blue eyes bounced off the reflection on the knife that angled to show the face that loomed over him. He hummed in contemplation. Hmmm...the gap was indeed large in the difference of visuals- his rag-tag team of saviours (doubtful) a mix between giants and dwarfs.

His gaze retracted its steps back to the man with the speech impediment to twinkle in awe at the breezes he had summoned to dance around them. The sound was almost audible in the jaw that slackened- wahhhh pretty- and bleached strands tousled in and out of his periphery when a loud pang cut through it. Replaced the feather-light touch with wet heaviness instead that drenched his cheek and strands alike to stick against the skin.

"Oh." Julian peered down at the legs that had collapsed behind him and then up at the new blade that threatened to lob his head off his body. Their faces crossed, his bloodied and sheepish one of parted lips and the boy's predatory one of features ripped up in a blood-curdling grin. "Last words?" He repeated and blinked before his hand suddenly clutched the blade and pulled it closer. His eye sidled right up to the barrel of the rifle.

"How is the knife attached to this?" The palm split under the sharp edge while he squinted and then sniffed around the hilt of the knife "Is it removable?". It was as if he had completely forgotten about the threat and well, anything else of importance. Julian's face trailed down the rifle to inch closer to the dwarf. "Isn't heavy?" He tilted his head and let unabashed eyes rake him up and down when reality struck him in a jerk.

"Ah right, the important thing that I was gonna tell you. Well...I think you can decide if it's important or not and if you believe it after you hear it. There's an ambush up ahead!" Julian tossed the rifle aside "With that said, thank you for saving me and uh...you don't happen to know where the exit is, do you?".

Spoiler: Tags

Coyote Hart Doctor Llamabean AriAriAbabwa simj26

 

[gxxberkit]

TENEBROSITY

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Filth in the Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

5 million bajillion people

The Filth in the Gutter

Annoying. Darius wasn’t listening. Darius never listens. Even as he pulled Ten into a hug telling them he would, he wouldn’t. He never does.

They grabbed onto his shirt, lightly shoving him away as the speakers buzzed alive. Once the announcement finished, they mumbled. “S-see? We-- we ha- ha- ha- haaaaa-”

Finishing the sentence was useless, seeing as the danger was approaching them now.

The hostiles shifted and changed in front of them. Ten jumped at the sudden sleeper below their foot, landing into Darius and using him as a shield from the red light of 139. In the split second they had to spare, they looked up to him.

During emergency turbulence on a plane, you are advised to secure your own mask first before helping anyone else around you. This is especially true when the person you intend on helping is particularly stubborn. And while they were not on a plane, they were right in front of a train, and if you asked Ten, that was close enough.

They locked eyes with Darius. If you’d only listened seconds sooner, we wouldn’t have been in this scenario! Ten kept their gaze on him as they lowered into the floor, flattening themselves into shadow form. They pressed their eyes closed again as the train went over them. Whatever was to happen to Darius wasn’t their problem anymore.

WhiskeyMarten Misuteeku

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

SYLVIE SLEZÁK

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 2 [The Heist]

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Camila, Jennifer, Maria, Ryutaro, Samira, Sylvie

THE HEIST

Sylvie nodded in response to Camila’s encouragement, keeping a firm grip on his weapon though his allies were doing a far better job at dispatching the remaining guards. When Ryutaro gave instructions for them to head out to the armoury, he breathed a sigh of relief that the first stages had gone without a hitch, though that was before the bullet grazed his mentor’s shoulder.

He flinched as Camila quickly unloaded her gun on the man, before offering his support.

“Ca- Merlot! Are you okay?” He was concerned but didn’t stop to fuss over her, keeping a quick pace towards the armoury with the other Tigers. It wasn’t all he was concerned about. Though Camila’s injury was worrying, it was little distraction from the carnage that surrounded them. He had seen Jennifer kill the workers with impeccable aim, and it sickened him. But he dared not call her out.

“Let’s hurry now…”

Even with one kill compared to the massacre the others took part in, Sylvie felt just as sickened with himself. All he could do was try and immerse himself fully into the mission now.

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

HECTOR MOSES

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino - 1st Floor, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

On the floor: Alice, Charlie, Dante, Hector
Elsewhere: Hide, Raquel, Yukito, Zachariah

WHOLE WORLD BLIND

Hector moved toward Charlie’s call, peering around as he did so. Being tall had its advantages, as he could see the general direction most were gravitating towards, though unfortunately on the wrong side of the floor to see their target. The bar wasn’t a bad shout at all at this point and Hector leaned against the counter, waiting until the bartender had left and Charlie had finished speaking to say anything.

“Sounds good, Miss.” The ends of his mouth curling up ever so slightly betrayed his cold demeanour. Soon, the bartender returned with their drinks. He took his drink firmly and with his other hand he dug deep into his trouser pockets, unveiling a fistful of bills that he placed on the counter, nudging the pile at the lady who took them with a warm smile and a “Thank you!”

Hector sipped at the drink, a strong combination of spirits he couldn’t identify, with a sour taste on top.
“So, you been having a good day?”

“Mhm. Busy here today.”

“Some of our staff arranged a little something to liven up the crowds. Even one of our most special residents has joined in. And that’s all over there.” The lady pointed in a direction, before turning back to the pair.

“And all that means I’m getting a lot more business here-”

“I can see that, we’ll let you get to it then.”

The lady smiled, moving down the bar to serve those who had been waiting, leaving the two alone at the bar once more, though Hector still leaned into the other man to keep some privacy.

“She’s gotta still be here then, it’s just way too busy. Too many eyes.”

He rapped on the wooden counter impatiently, stuck in thought. He knew Yukito was on his way, but he hadn’t seen a sign of Hide or Raquel. Not that he was expecting to see them, but it would’ve given some relief to know they were set in their roles. Especially now.

Hector’s hand crawled up to his face surreptitiously, like he just had an itch that needed scratching, but instead, his finger moved to the earpiece.

“Too many people on the first floor. Any way to isolate our lady a bit?”

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

DARIUS KENNEDY

CS Link

SCENE:

Filth In The Gutter

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Mimi, Orion, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Ten, Yuna, Yuto
Ruriko, Schroeder, Silva

THE SUN IN THE GUTTER

“Fuck-”

Darius moved his head towards the source of the noise, taking a step back but it was too late. He didn’t have time to process Ten’s movements. As soon as the red light shone he became a statue. He couldn’t even shut his eyes away from the brightness, or turn to see what the groaning of an engine was just outside of his field of view. He couldn’t even warn Ten to stay safe, or even find out if they were free or also ensnared.

Fuck you Sang-Cheol. Fuck you fuck you fuck-

He could hear the clattering of obstacles in the storage room that had been decimated by the machine, but the only thing that freed him from the trap was the impact of the human train against his body. His ribs cracked and his entire body erupted with searing pain as he was flung away, his legs catching the train as well as it shot past.

As the train continued through, paying Darius no more attention as it crashed through the wall to another room on the floor, Darius crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll, coming to a stop after a few rolls. Blood had stained his shirt and head and pooled around his arm, which lie limp with the rest of him. The bones within had snapped in a sickening, unnatural way. Only a few twitchy movements indicated life as he remained laying face down.

 

[simj26]

Inigo Han

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

CDPD-HQ, Upper Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Boltius, Eric, Gideon, Inigo, Roza, Tatsuya

TACTICAL MAYHEM

He straightened up. Slow, measured, fettered. Debris scattered off his silhouette, his long, now-messy hair, clattering around him. He shrugged his shoulders, shaking off the small remnants of the dust that still clung on to him. A little battered, a little bruised, but he was still standing. With a swipe of his blade, he sent the piece of debris in front of him across the room, crashing against the floor and the wall.

With a toss of his head, he flung his long hair behind his shoulders, and stepped over the remaining rubble that adorned his surroundings. His face was set in a calm, emotionless line, but his eyes burned with the fury of a thousand suns. Pure hatred bubbled and boiled inside the amber globes, suppressed as it was. When he spoke, his voice was as quiet and calm as thin razor-sharp wires upon one’s neck. “Remember. You chose this.”

He kicked backwards against the rubble, launching himself into a starting sprint, his weapons crossed in front of his charging body.

Interacting with:
Lucem

Doctor Llamabean Roda the Red Nobody Special Coyote Hart Wxnter

 

[Haze-]

HADES

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Faceless Fox]

LOCATION:

Venom House, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Dante, Akira, Welsha, Ji-Young, Pablo, Kiwi

The Faceless Fox

“Hey,”— Dante called out, not getting any particular response.

It was a permeating silence. Tense, like it would wrap around both their necks and choke them out.

He watched in quiet resignation as the man stammered into silence, drifting further into his own, anxious little world. Sweaty palms, heart-racing, boulder at the pit of the stomach; like he was in an internal warfare, clinging for dear life. He knew how that sensation felt, burning at the back of the neck. Dante would’ve spared the man a sympathy piece if only he weren’t on the clock right now.

You can’t mix feelings with work. No exceptions.

Dante’s mind labored for a quick instance, about as hard as Wagner’s mind had been racing every time their gazes briefly met— just how far had Akira pushed this guy?

Akira’s toy started crumbling. One last stutter before Wagner went quiet, their stare down began to blur into the cacophony of clatter and clamor, the whole liveliness of the bar had brushed their silence down. And there it stagnated.

“You’re higher than a fucking kite right now, aren’t you?” — Dante asked, not really expecting any feedback loop from this back and forth. Wagner seemed sober enough to understand what was going on, he just wasn’t there sitting at the same table with him anymore. Hell, he figured the man was already stuttering in his own thoughts.

A nasty withdrawal maybe? Panic attack? Both?

Didn’t matter now that they were beyond that event horizon. He’d ran the scenario through his head a couple of times, but never did he think Wagner would crack that fast. The folder mentioned him being shaky— but this shaky?

Dante drew out a soul-pained groan before his eyes moved over to where those trembling hands drifted to.

Slowly, he heard the envelope tighten in the man’s grasp, forming a fist. In a perfect, fantasy world, Wagner would’ve banged the money on the table and told Dante to fuck off, in proper serpent fashion; they’d be done with it. But the longer the moment was drawn out, it only reassured Dante, that money wasn’t moving out of Wagner’s pocket.

Not anymore that it’d already had.

“We can still work this out, Wagner.”— His voice rasped, a hint of edge. A grave warning and an honest suggestion in the same breath. Dante was nearing the wits-end of his patience.

Dante quickly moved his hands off the table once he caught that blur of movement flash by the corner of his eye, he watched the splinters rise, a good chunk or two of wood went through the air. He froze as the man stood up and pointed his wiry finger at him. Dante’s expression stayed about the same, a drape of hair hiding his eyes, hard to tell from that yellow glisten coming through the curtain whether the debt collector was scared, anxious, or just annoyed.

“Mmn— Nevermind then.”

That was about as far as professional courtesy and formalities go.

Wagner stood on the far-side end of the table, nostrils flaring and sweat streaming down his face, like the reaper had just snatched his soul for a moment. The tension had peaked in crescendo once Wagner was done setting up his scene, and leaving that same scene mere seconds after his outburst.

All eyes were on him, pressing against all of his blind spots, full of bemuse— yet, he remained looking down at the broken table like a deer caught in the headlights. And man, were these some pretty headlights.

“Holy fuck, you’re stupid, Wagner.” — A chuckle cut into his words, a wide smile like a knife to the throat as his eyes gloated on the white envelope that lay on the pieces of broken table. Of course, most of the serpents in the room wouldn’t have known exactly what he found so funny, the lot of them would likely toss it up to typical hard-ass bravado before getting into the fight.

Not like they had to know, he had to make the most out of all the confusion — "Thought I’d have to give chase…” — He leaned in and snatched the envelope in one quick, snappy motion, stuffing it deep into his pockets.

The bar had become a whole different beast now that everyone had their eyes set on him.

He eyed the woman walking up to him without ever really bothering to stand up or address all of those foreign stares, the exit was past the mob. He’d have to cut through if the wanted an out. The window Wagner had leapt out of seemed like a good alternative too, but soon enough that one was cut off too.

Dante was cornered.

He passed a hand over his face, feeling like he’d already been in this type of situation before, gently taking off the glasses and taking in all the glare. Just as she stopped to size him up, he glanced up at her. She wasn’t easy on the eyes, really. Neither was he, but she looked like more trouble than he’d ever been his entire life.

With the way she was carrying herself too, talking for everyone else, he could make out the ranking here. She was the alpha dog; the shitfaced bunch was most likely here only to amp up her ego. Dante kept his eyes on hers as she spoke, the bottle she threw broke with a hollow snap, his eyes quickly followed to where she’d lit up a fire at his feet.

There was a stillness in his glare, almost as if he were unimpressed by her act. His mind trailed off, wondering how HP’s frolicked in this city if all they ever did was fight over nothing. North Oasis, more specifically. Most of those who remained here did so because they couldn't afford to go anywhere else, or they were simply involved with snakes. Pulled down to the depths of hell by them, rather.

Many of the buildings were owned and operated by the serpents themselves, that he knew even as a kid. They controlled the neighborhoods, the streets, the very air around them.

The drugs.

The violence.

Everything revolved around these fuckers.

“…Grown-ass woman.” — He breathes, inching up his chair with a feigned groan, taking a stretch.

Dante rolled his neck from side to side, half-annoyed-half-determined. It was one last leg and he’d be done with everything. His eyes moved to make a quick body count before opening his mouth to respond,

“Y’all are doing too damn much. Over a fucking druggie too.” — He then counted the lights, from what little he could see beyond the wall of bodies, one or two behind them, then there was the neon snake behind him.

Hilarious, he thought.

“Can you come out?”

“Maybe. Y’might need to kill a couple lights.”— She answered.

“I’ll handle it. You’ll behave?” — There was a moment of silence before the wolf replied, he could already make a mental image of that deranged grin of hers.

“Maybe.”

That was about the best deal he could get out of her.

Dante drew a sigh, turning back from the neon cobra to face them — “In the west they’ve got manners," — He started. A slow, shaky hand cowled all-black reaching up behind him. The light was just dim enough for her to come out, as miserable as she was hiding behind Dante — "I’m supposed to give you a chance to turn around and act like we’d never landed as a blip on each other’s radar."

"But I’m not from the fucking west,"

She cut the distance shorter than it took him to finish that sentence, reaching in deft, swift in her lunge— yet she was pinned down by the neon, trembling in her step, struggling with an inability to fully claw and pull herself out of the bowels of the dark. But in her reverence to the light, she didn’t squirm or wail like a hurt dog. No, pushed down by the unbearable weight of the light, the wolf bared fang, a rumbling, shivering growl at her throat.

Finally, in one quick snap, the neon cobra was torn from the wall, leaving only a claw mark where it once stood.

The one corner he stood in was cast under a black shape now that the neon light was gone. The shadows lenghtened, pressing against the walls, settling on one singular spot, catching the wolf's breath as she peered down at the serpents with a maddened glare. The yellow glow in Dante's eyes tore through that curtain of dark fog.

Three more lights. The fire, plus the other two behind everyone else.

"Let’s just get it going.”

Nobody Special​

 

[Coyote Hart]

EVIELLE, SOON-TO-BE OVERLORD

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

New Oasis Police Department, Ground Floor Break Room

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Boltius, Eric, Gideon, Inigo, Tatsuya, Callista

TACTICAL MAYHEM

Gideon was surprised that his words were able to sway Gregory. Coffee must have been an important part of the officer's life if he was willing to let go of a criminal in order to save the machine.

When Eric's hand released from Gideon's neck, Gideon collapsed to his knees, clutching his throat as he heaved for air. The sudden rush of air caused Gideon's vision to go unfocused. Despite that, he was able to lift his head and watch in fascination as the blond-haired officer deftly snatched the grenade before it could explode and chucked it out of the window. Gideon gasped for one last breath before he stood up. If Gregory was able to throw back his bombs... well... Gideon was fucked.

"Vandalizing state property. That is deserving of a fine," Gideon said, his vision still off-kilter and still breathing hard, "I may have caused the explosion, but you were the one who broke the window."

Gideon locked eyes with Eric as he lowered himself into an alert stance. From his satchel, he drew a pipe bomb in his left hand and a grenade in his right hand, ready for battle if Gregory insisted on it. His eyes darted briefly at Callista's butterflies, the movement acknowledging their presence. If worst came to worst, Callista's exploding butterflies could have great strategic value in manipulating the battlefield-- the break room-- to his advantage.

The burgeoning villain didn't have a response prepared for Gregory's words, so Gideon had to improvise on it.

"Oh, my friend, I'm just chock-full of tricks," Gideon said with bravado. His resting-bitch-face scowl turned into more of a worried frown as he said, considerably more toned down, "That is to say that I'm out of tricks. I'm a one-trick pony, I'm afraid."

Of course, that was a lie. Gideon had Callista on his side, but he wasn't going to let Gregory know that. And if Gideon somehow managed to create a trick in-the-moment, then his lie would allow him to catch Gregory unprepared.

But Gideon didn't really want to be in any potential situation where he would need to create a trick on the fly. So Gideon attempted one last time to defuse the situation by talking. He wasn't really fond of talking, but it definitely beats getting beat up.

"So your coffee machine is more important than arresting an HP," Gideon mused. His gaze turned sharp as he offered Gregory one last alternative to fighting, "Let me make you an offer. How about you let me off scot free and go clock out from your shift, and you can get a free cup of coffee from the coffee shop I work at whenever I'm there? It definitely beats the dried-up, flavorless pre-ground coffee beans you guys use. Hell, we can even stop by right now if you want to give it a taste test."

He didn't expect that Gregory would accept such an offer, especially since he was basically trying to bribe a police officer, but it was worth a try.

Roda the Red Wxnter
Doctor Llamabean simj26 Lucem Nobody Special